This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the present invention, which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present invention. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.
A piston may include a disk or cylinder that moves within a close-fitting cylinder of a mechanical assembly. The piston within the cylinder operates to transfer force from a working fluid to a shaft, or vice versa. The piston may include a crosshead designed to reduce or eliminate lateral, or radial, pressure on the piston during operation. For example, mechanical assemblies such as engines, pumps, and compressors include cylinders with reciprocating pistons. In engines, the piston moves in response to a fluid pressure resulting from combustion of a fuel-oxidant mixture. More specifically, the force from the fluid pressure is transferred to the piston, which further transfers the force to a shaft. Conversely, pumps and compressors include pistons for compressing or ejecting a fluid within a respective cylinder. The pump or compressor includes a shaft which transfers force from a connecting rod, a crosshead, a piston rod, and the piston to a working fluid, such that the working fluid is compressed within or displaced from the cylinder. Unfortunately, the speed of the piston and crosshead, and therefore the flow capacity of the mechanical assembly, may be limited by the construction of the piston.